According to Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, the findings raise urgent concerns.
A new United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) analysis paints a stark picture of the challenges confronting Myanmar’s youth, who account for more than one-third of the country’s population. Against a backdrop of political instability, economic contraction, conflict, and social disruption, young people are finding themselves locked out of education and employment pathways — leaving what the report describes as a “generation on hold.”
The study, A Generation on Hold: Youth Employment and Education in Myanmar, draws on the Myanmar Youth Survey 2024 — the most comprehensive national survey of young people to date — as well as interviews and focus group discussions. It is the second report in UNDP’s Asia-Pacific series tracking how prolonged conflict is reshaping the lives of Myanmar’s young generation.
According to Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, the findings raise urgent concerns.
“The stalling of education-to-employment pathways in Myanmar represents not just an economic challenge, it sets off a generational alarm,” Wignaraja said. “Millions of young women and men are seeing their aspirations and their potential collapse under the weight of disrupted education, disappearance of good jobs and heightened insecurity — on top of entrenched gender and social barriers.”
The report highlights a multidimensional crisis affecting young people nationwide, with rural and conflict-affected youth bearing the heaviest burden. Among the most pressing findings:
These trends risk creating a “NEET generation” that could remain excluded from opportunities for decades, perpetuating cycles of poverty, instability, and inequality. For Myanmar, this represents not only a social crisis but also a serious economic one, undermining its human capital and long-term development prospects.
Despite these challenges, the survey reveals strong resilience among Myanmar’s youth. Nearly half expressed a strong interest in technical and vocational education, seeing it as a pathway to better livelihoods. Many are already involved in small-scale entrepreneurship and informal businesses, largely driven by necessity but reflecting adaptability and ambition.
The UNDP stresses the need for locally-driven interventions that expand access to flexible learning, vocational training, and job creation. Recommended actions include:
“Investing in Myanmar’s youth is critical for the country’s future resilience and recovery,” Wignaraja said. “What is at stake is more than jobs and education. It is the future capabilities and dreams of an entire generation.”
By strengthening youth access to education, training, and decent work, Myanmar can ensure that its young people are not a “generation on hold” but rather a generation that rebuilds the country’s future.
